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BURMA RELATED NEWS - August 10,
2001.
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HEADLINES
------------------------------------------------------------------ BBC - Asian nations discuss drug
control
Power Report - Burmese Official Says Overseas
Investment Needed to Raise Energy Output
The People's Daily - Sub-Regional Senior Officials Meeting on Drug Control Opens in
Yangon
The Nation - Burma’s
spy chief Khin Nyunt to visit soon
The Nation - 37kg of
heroin seized
FEER - Burma Talks
Focus On Prisoner Release
FEER - Jet-Fighter Training Needed in
Burma
FEER - Asean says its
more-developed members must help the others. A low-cost, basic approach is
best
------------------------------------------------------------------ BBC - Friday, 10 August, 2001, 12:23
GMT 13:23 UK
Asian nations discuss drug control Officials from four Asian countries have been meeting in Burma to discuss
how to improve efforts at tackling the region's drugs trade.
The talks between officials from Burma, Laos, China and Thailand are to
prepare for a ministerial summit on drug control to be held in China later this
month.
The Burmese Home Affairs Minister, Colonel Tin Hliang, said there needed to
be greater cooperation between the four countries to stop drug smuggling across
their borders.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
------------------------------------------------------------------ Power Report
Burmese Official Says Overseas
Investment Needed to Raise Energy Output
BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific - Economic ( August 08, 2001 ) Text of report by Burmese newspaper The Myanmar Times
on 8 August
U Soe Myint, an official from the Ministry
of Energy, told Myanmar Times that it is most essential to receive direct
foreign investment and advance technology in development of Myanmar's [Burma's]
energy sector. He added that to attract more foreign investment, Myanmar should
be ready to provide economic infrastructure required for production of oil and
natural gas.
He said that in the last 10 years, Myanmar
had signed 44 agreements for oil and natural gas production and that 20 firms
had left due to various circumstances. He said 15 foreign companies are handling
the remaining 24 agreements and eight are engaged in offshore oil exploration.
The director-general said that it is also important that private sector be
permitted in the development of energy sector. He added that some projects had
been handed over to private sector. For instance, a project is being implemented
in the electric power sector for production of 2,000 MW by the year 2005
The present electric power capacity is 360
MW only. Of this, 60 per cent is produced from natural gas. He said that there
is much business left at energy sector to hand over to the private sector.
Production of oil and natural gas is the top
foreign exchange earner for Myanmar. In the last 10 years, the sector had earned
2.36bn US dollars to the economy which constituted 32 per cent of the country's
investment. U Soe Myint said Myanmar has much oil and natural gas resources. At
present, two world-class offshore wells - Yadana and Yetagun Wells - were found
in the Gulf of Martaban Tenessarim coast, and that exploration is taking place
along Rakhine coast. He explained patiently that discussions were being held
between the government and foreign investors on production of oil and natural
gas from the 15 offshore blocks and 25 inland blocks. Inland blocks were
discovered in three basins out of 14 basins in Myanmar and that the remaining 11
blocks have good prospects.
Earlier this month, U Soe Myint had attended
the 19th meeting of the ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] energy
ministers held in Brunei. The meeting was attended by Minister of Energy Brig-
Gen Lun Thi and his delegation. The minister presented a briefing on Myanmar's
efforts for development of its energy sector. The need to reduce excessive
dependence on oil import by ASEAN countries was discussed at the meeting. The
ASEAN countries import daily 19m barrels of crude oil which constitutes 60 per
cent of the total consumption in the area. By the year 2020, this could increase
up to 84 per cent, which means import of 38m barrels daily. The meeting
discussed ways to avoid excessive dependence on oil import, such as stockpiling
of oil during the time of low oil prices, substitution of oil with energy
derived from natural gas and coal, and the use of wind, solar, and hydroelectric
energy.
------------------------------------------------------------------ The People's Daily - August 10,
2001.
Sub-Regional Senior Officials Meeting on
Drug Control Opens in Yangon
A Senior Officials Meeting among China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand opened
in Yangon on August 10 to enhance cooperation for control and suppression of
narcotic drugs in the sub-region.
This is the first meeting of its kind of the four countries hosted by
Myanmar.
Speaking at the opening of the two-day meeting, Myanmar Home Affairs
Minister Colonel Tin Hlaing said illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, crimes
related to narcotic drugs, terrorism, the laundering of proceeds from narcotic
drugs have an adverse effect on the political, economic and social well-being of
the nations of the world, and it is also detrimental to regional peace, security
and stability.
Tin Hlaing, who is also chairman of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse
Control, noted that the problem of narcotic drugs cannot be addressed by any one
country alone, calling for cooperation and coordination in the sub-region to
find a solution.
He also urged the international community not only to provide assistance
but also to take an active role in the fight against drugs.
The initiation of the four-country meetings at three levels -- senior
officials meeting, ministerial meeting and meeting of the heads of states -- was
raised by Myanmar and Thailand during Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's
visit to Yangon in June and the present meeting was agreed upon during Myanmar
Foreign Minister U Win Aung's visit to Bangkok later in the month.
The senior officials meeting will be followed by a ministerial meeting by
the end of this month in Beijing.
China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand and the United Nations Drug Control
Program are founding members of the 1993 Memorandum of Understanding signed in
New York for drug control in the sub- region, the membership of which was later
enlarged to conclude Cambodia and Vietnam in 1995.
------------------------------------------------------------------ The Nation - August 10,
2001.
Burma’s spy chief Khin Nyunt to visit
soon
Marisa Chimprabha
Burma’s intelligence chief, LtGeneral Khin Nyunt, will make an official
visit to Bangkok on September 1 as a guest of the Thai government, a Defence
Ministry official said yesterday.
General Sanan Kajornklam said the visit would be the first since 1992 for
the Burmese general, who is secretarygeneral of the State Peace and Development
Council and number three in the military junta. General Pat Akkanibutr, adviser
to the Defence Minister, said the Burmese general’s visit was expected to help
resolve ThaiBurma problems.
“There are some bilateral problems that need to be tackled as soon as
possible, for the sake of both countries,” Pat said. “For example, the fishery
problems [occurring because] Burma revoked all the fishing licences held by Thai
companies,” he said.
Border demarcation, generally overseen by a joint border committee, would
also be discussed, Pat said. There were sticking points that need to be
discussed to resolve matters once and for all, he said.
During Khin Nyunt’s visit, both countries are expected to discuss bilateral
bordertrade problems sparked by a Burmese ban on about 40 Thai products.
Defence Minister General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said one of the top issues
to be discussed would be joint border patrols – to quell drug and people
trafficking between the two countries.
Chavalit said if a proposal could be agreed upon, both sides might
formalise the issue of joint patrols while the Burmese general was in
Bangkok.
ThaiBurma relations have been at a low ebb of late, partly because of
ongoing border skirmishes involving the Shan State Army, which is fighting the
junta, and drug production by the Rangoonbacked United Wa State Army.
------------------------------------------------------------------ The Nation - August 10,
2001.
37kg of heroin seized
Police yesterday arrested five suspects, including two known associates of
fugitive drug kingpin Wei Sia Kang, and seized 37 kilogrammes of heroin in two
related operations.
Narcotic Suppression Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Priewphan Damapong
identified the five suspects as Boonsong Khamtan, 31, Eum Sunan, 29, Ahsuapha
Laomee, 27, Arthit Kasemjit, 24, and Sombat Mongduang, 32.
Police also seized three cars, six mobile phones, and a 9mmcalibre
pistol.
Priewphan said Sombat worked for the fugitive drug kingpin and had been
blacklisted by police who were monitoring his activities.
Sombat and Ahsuapha were arrested at a highway checkpoint in Kampaengphet
after police stopped and searched their car, finding the heroin.
The two men confessed that they were smuggling heroin from Burma via Chiang
Rai to Bangkok, Priewphan said.
The three other suspects were arrested in Bangkok where they were allegedly
waiting for the drug to be delivered.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said the AntiMoney
Laundering Committee has frozen assets of five more people. About Bt20 million
in assets have been frozen from the five people on suspicion they had earned the
money from drug trafficking.
------------------------------------------------------------------ Far Eastern Economic
Review
INTELLIGENCE Burma Talks Focus On Prisoner
Release
Issue cover-dated August 16, 2001
It can now be confirmed that the talks between Burma's military government
and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi have centred on one issue: Suu Kyi
wants the release of all 2,000 political prisoners in the country, while the
government is releasing some prisoners in the hope that foreign countries and
international institutions will resume aid, which has been cut off since the
military gunned down thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators in 1988. Contrary
to regional press reports, there is nothing to indicate that the two sides have
been discussing power-sharing agreements or even how the country should be
governed, sources close to the talks in Rangoon report. The sources assert Suu
Kyi's National League for Democracy wants no "rewards" to be given to the
government until all political detainees have been set free and the NLD
leadership is satisfied that the outcome of the talks are satisfactory and
irreversible. At the current pace of prisoner release--"in dribs and drabs of
two to three a week," the NLD complains, according to an opposition radio
station--it could take up to 10 years before all those now held are out of jail.
To speed up the talks, Suu Kyi wants United Nations special envoy Razali Ismail
to visit Burma more often. The sources also say that, contrary to what the
government has claimed, Suu Kyi did not assent to delaying Razali's visit
earlier this year until June. In other words, there has been no real
breakthrough, and the talks are not going as smoothly as the government has
claimed in an effort to get aid flowing again.
------------------------------------------------------------------ Far Eastern Economic
Review
INTELLIGENCE
Jet-Fighter Training Needed in
Burma
Issue cover-dated August 16, 2001 It will take years before the 10 MiG-29 fighter jets that Burma has ordered
from Russia can be seen as an effective addition to the country's antiquated air
force, Western military analysts say. Burma does not have any pilots qualified
to handle modern jet fighters, and training will be a major problem. One option,
the analysts say, would be to hire Russian or other East European pilots to fly
the aircraft. But given Burmese sensitivities regarding direct foreign
participation in its defence, it is more likely that the deal to buy the
aircraft will involve initial training in Russia and the posting of Russian
instructors to Burma. In the past, Burmese air force personnel have been trained
in Yugoslavia, Poland and China before the purchase of aircraft from those
countries, and instructors from China and Russia have come briefly to Burma. But
the likely arrival of more Russian instructors who will stay for longer
periods--years, even--to train Burmese fighter pilots would mark a new era in
Burma's foreign military relations. Until now, Chinese instructors have been the
only foreign military personnel stationed in Burma on a long-term basis.
------------------------------------------------------------------ Far Eastern Economic
Review
DEVELOPMENT - Reality Bites
Asean says its more-developed members
must help the others. A low-cost, basic approach is best
By Margot Cohen/HANOI
Issue cover-dated August 16, 2001
AGAINST THE BACKDROP of regional financial gloom, it might be tempting to
see the latest self-help kick by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as
little more than Prozac-induced rhetoric. Plenty of media catcalls over Asean's
failures followed its ministerial meetings on regional integration in Hanoi from
July 23-27. Plunging ahead, Asean's Hanoi Declaration called for "narrowing the
development gap" between the bloc's original six members and its four relative
newcomers: Cambodia, Burma, Laos and Vietnam.
But there could be a method to the madness if Asean is truly serious about
nurturing development. Ironically, officials say, the global economic downturn
will inevitably force Asean to focus on low-cost ways to upgrade human
resources--an approach that is likely to pay off in the long run.
Success depends on two tiers of self-assessment, analysts say. The original
six Asean members must identify their individual strengths in providing training
to the less-developed member-nations. Whether that means information technology,
family planning, customs management or English lessons, specialties should be
carved out and duplication avoided.
At the same time, the four newcomers must assess their own commitment to
structural reforms in order to get maximum benefit from such training. "No
foreigner can narrow the gap without major cooperation from the less-developed
country," says one Vietnamese economist. "If people sit here, stepping on the
brakes, then no country--not even the United States--can liberate them from
their misery."
There's nothing new about bilateral education and training. Just ask the
Laotians studying agricultural techniques in Indonesia, or the Burmese studying
tourism in Malaysia. What's new is Asean's realization that such training must
be conducted in a more systematic and sustainable fashion, with a focus on
promoting the use of English and common attitudes toward open markets. Along
with eliminating tariffs, that could help boost trade within Asean and
strengthen the bloc to compete with China for foreign investment.
In the short run, some of the newcomers are likely to remain stubbornly
protectionist in developing certain industries. That's perhaps all the more
reason to act now, to pinpoint promising individuals within the bureaucracies
and broaden their horizons. "Once the policies change, you'll have people who
are ready to implement those changes. It's better than not doing anything,"
insists Arthayudh Srisamoot, an Asean counsellor from Thailand.
And it's certainly a lot cheaper than flashy projects such as the rail link
from Kunming in southern China to Singapore--another Asean project for regional
integration. Moreover, by concentrating on micro-initiatives in skills training,
Asean could help the newcomers in Asean to absorb large pots of money already
pledged by the World Bank and other major donors. This year, for example,
Vietnam used just 12% of funds committed by the bank, down from 16% in
1998.
Each newcomer has its own difficulties in absorbing aid, and corruption is
a common problem. Risk aversion in Vietnam's bureaucracy has led to painfully
slow decision-making. Cambodia is more transparent, but very short of educated
personnel. That's also the trouble in Laos, where the national university is
just five years old and Internet services are primitive. Repression in Burma has
scared many donors away.
IDEAS ARE MORE VALUABLE THAN MONEY
Asean leaders, however, can take heart from a recent World Bank report by academics David Dollar and Lant Pritchett: Assessing Aid: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why. "In poor policy environments, ideas are more important than money," they write. They also argue that "if aid can find and support reformers, it can have a big impact." Unlike the major international donors, Asean won't be waving carrots and sticks. "We don't have conditionalities. We need to give a chance to all these countries, to find a direction suitable to their indigenous conditions," says Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar. Given that the "indigenous conditions" are fairly desperate, the four most
recent Asean joiners are clamouring for quick action on the Hanoi Declaration.
"When you announce something, do it immediately, and cut short the red tape,"
says Cambodian diplomat Chem Widhya.
Widhya and others are delighted with a move by Singapore to establish
training centres in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Burma for IT, English and trade
promotion. But they're waiting for a follow-up meeting in Cambodia in October to
hash over development priorities. "All the Asean members tell us the same thing:
"Don't come up with a fantasy. Think of something realistic," says Laotian
diplomat Sayakane Sisouvong. For Asean, a good dose of reality could prove the
most potent drug of all.
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